This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

This portion ofI Samuel 17 that we have chosen for our extended devotional reading today is the record of David's victory over the giant, Goliath. This is one great story. In reality, it would make a good movie script; however, it may be too wholesome for today's "movie-goers".

David, the youngest son of Jesse, from Bethlehem, was selected to take some "food-stuffs" to his brothers who were about to enter battle with the dreaded enemy of the Jewish people, the Philistines.

As the young shepherd boy, and I mean boy, most likely in his early to mid teen years, David caught up with his brothers in the valley of Elah to the west of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He saw that the Israelites were fearful of entering the battle, especially in light of the leader of the Philistines, a giant of a man, most likely over nine feet tall.

David immediately said to Saul that no one should fear or "let his heart fail" because he would go out to fight this Philistine,verse 32.

David told King Saul that when he had watched over his father's sheep on two different occasions a bear and a lion had come to attack the sheep and that he had killed both of them, verses 34-36. He was able to overcome the bear and the lion because the Lord was with him.

David assured Saul that because the Philistines had defied the "armies of the living God," the giant leader would be defeated. David refused Saul's armour, sword and helmet and took five smooth stones from the brook to go to battle with Goliath.

David would use the weapon that God had given him as a shepherd boy to protect his Father's sheep, the "slingshot", to kill the giant. By the way, David took five stones because he had heard that Goliath had four brothers. He thought he might have to defeat the whole family.

"David shouted to the Philistines that he came to them in the name of the Lord of Host, the God of the armies of Israel, whom they had defied",verse 45. David acknowledged that the battle was the Lord's and that the Lord would give the Philistines into the hands of the Jews, verse 47.

David killed Goliath, the children of Israel defeated the Philistines and David carried the "head" of Goliath into Jerusalem. He did this to let the Jewish people know that their God was the only true God and would protect them from their enemies, in His own way, not their way.

In fact, this whole incident was done, David and the children of Israel defeating Goliath and the Philistines, so "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel",verse 46.

God, has for four thousand years, given the Jewish people the victories over seemingly unbeatable enemies so that the world would know that there is a true, powerful, almighty, holy God, the God of Israel.

The Jew has been, is now, and will be the evidence of that truth, even into the future.Also, the Jew is the key to knowing where God is in His timeline for the end of times, the Rapture, the Tribulation and the Return of Jesus Christ to the Earth.

We all need to keep our focus on the Jews and their nation, and its capital city, Jerusalem, to know what God is doing. God has a "plan" for the last days, it’s called Bible Prophecy, all we need to do is read His prophetic word to see how what is happening today is setting the stage for these prophecies to be fulfilled.

As we see God’s plan being worked out today it will reveal to us how close the complete fulfillment of these prophecies may well be. This knowledge of what God is doing should cause us to live for Him as we eagerly await is Return.

PRAYER THOT: Help me to live Lord so that the world will know that You are real and can change all who come unto You and receive eternal life as I did when I came unto You.